What Whitewater Kayakers Do When Normal People are Asleep

Every Wednesday night in the fall through spring kayakers gather at the Helene Madison Pool in Seattle to practice Eskimo rolls, bracing and playboating tricks. Seeing as the sessions start at 8:30 pm and go until 10:30 pm this can make you feel like a bit of a vampire – but it’s a great way to practice rolls in warm water and learn from other boaters.

Recently I got some video there of two really good kayakers, Brad and Samson, practicing their playboating moves.

Here’s Brad, with paddle:

And here’s Brad doing tricks just hand-paddling – this involves putting some extra flotation in his boat.

And here’s Samson, tearing it up:

Both of these guys make it look so easy it’s ridiculous, don’t you think?